The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-14
From the Ne,c York Sun.


Relics of the First Presidential Model
Farm.
From the Ne,U York Sun.
WASHINGTON, June 11.-Mount Vernon is
at all times more or less visited by strangers,
but at this season the tomb of Washington
is the Mecca for crowds of pilgrims The
home of Washington was never more beau
tiful or better cared for than at this time.
A great deal has been said about turning
the house into a museum, but there is hardly
an article in it that did not belong to or was
not associated with Washington and the
| Washington family. All the rooms are now
furnished and named for States. The largest
room, usually called the banquet hall or
state dining room, is now known as the New
York Room. 1t is in this room where the
Regent, Mrs. Lily Macallister Laughton, of
Pennsylvania, and the Vice Regents from
other States hold the annual council. They
sit around the handsome mahogany table
purchased from funds realized by Mrs John
Sherwood's readings, given especially for
| the purpose. The table is an extension, and
when a dozen or fifteen women are around
it in council, Washingtons banquet hall
presents a business-like appearance.
Mrs. Townsend, Vice Regent for New
| York, last year had the walls of this
room restored to their original color, also
the ceiling, parts of which had fallen.
| Rembrandt Peale's washington Before
Yorktown hangs on the west side of the
room. 1t was given by the artists heirs to
| the Mount Vernon Association fourteen years
ago. Washington is on horseback, and
with him are Lafayette, Hamilton. King,
Lincoln and Rochambeau. The picture is
framed III the wood of a tree that grew on
the farm of Robert Morris. The military
equipments used byW ashington in the Brad
dock campaign are shown in glass case.
The pretty story is told of the banquet
hall that Lafayette helped TO put the first
paper on the walls on his third visit to this
country in 1874. The paper was brought
over from England, and the room was to be
made ready for a ball given in honor of
Lafayette But the paper-hanger, or up
holsterer," as he was then called, disap-
pointed Mrs. Washington, and when the
gallant Marquis understood the situation he
at once offered his services. He, with other
guests, and Gen. Washington went to work
and papered the room. OF course the bali
took place, and was no doubt, more festive
than if given under more formal auspices.
The only interesting thing in the New York
room, not Washington relic, is an old
British flag that belonged to Gen. Grant 1t
is red silk and so very old that it is quite in
tatters, and to preserve it the regents have
had it mounted ON plush and framed.
The Washington family dining room is
now the South Carolina room. The side
board in this room is veritable relic, used
by Washington and his wife at Mount YER
non. 1t was presented by the wife of Gen.
Robert z. Lee, who wished it to go back in
its original place. Mrs Lee gave the side
board for Mount Vernon to the wife of the
late Surgeon General Barnes, who is the
Vice Regant for the District of Columbia
Among the whole number of Vice Re
gents two only are unmarried women-MisS
Longfellow, daughter of the poet, who, of
course, represents Massachusetts,, and Miss
Emily Harper, Vice Regent of Maryland
Miss Longfellow is a tall, slender woman,
with fine, expressive eyes, and hair once
dark, but prematurely gray. She chose
WashiDgton's library for the Massachusetts
Room and has furnished it with interesting
things, though there are none of the revolu-
tionary relics kept in this room by Wash
ington now to be seen. Boston bought
many of the books and pamphlets for her
Athenaum nearly forty years ago. The
room itself is curious in the many panels or
| closets in the walls.
Miss Harper has furnished for MARYLAND
Eleanor GUSTS bedroom. Mrs. Laughton,
for Pennsylvania, has furnished what was
once known as the "River Room" Only
part of the furniture is original 1t is
claimed for the bedstead that Washington
used it in his march to Valley Forge. New
Jersey has the Lafayette Room" the
chamber occupied by the distinguished
Frenchman when guest at Mount Vernon
The bureau is the same used by Lafayette,
and an engraving of his portrait by AIRY
Scheffer hangs on the wall, the original
portrait being in the House of Representa-
| tives.
Only one room in the mansion is fitted up
throughout with real Washington furniture,
and this is the bedroom where he died Vir-
ginia, under her Vice-Regent, Mrs Emma
Read Ball, whose husband is grandson of
Washington's niece, Frances Washington
Ball, has charge of this room. Mrs. Ball
declares that everything in this chamber
was used by Washington at Mount Vernon
The room just over this one, and where
Mrs. Washington died a year and half
later, has but one piece of the original fur
niture, small mahogany corner-stand. The
wife of the late Alexander Mitchell and
Vice-Regent for Wisconsin, has reproduced
the original furniture in mahogany The
bed hangipgs and chairs, originally of bright
print. are copied in woollen cretOnne. The
pillow-cases have reproduced the embroid-
cred crest and initials IN. w"
The main hall is taken by Alabama,
through the Vice Regent, Mrs. Herbert;
Ohio has the east parlor and Illinois the
west parlor; Georgia has Mrs. Washingtons
sitting rooom; Delaware has one of the bed
rooms; West Virginia the green room, and
four bedrooms are furnished by Connect
cut, Maine, North Carolina and the District
of Columbia, through their Vice Regents.
| Mount Vernon has various sources of rev.
enue. One of the most satisfactory to the
Regents and to visitors is the sale of flowers
The tea rose. Mary Washington, is the popu-
lar rose, and is sold more than any other to
strangers, who would not find the same rose
by any other name as sweet as the name of
Washingtons mother. Ten of the two hun
dred acres forming the Mount Vernon es-
tate are in the beautiful lawn about the
mansion. There are fifty acres of wood
land, and the rest are in pasturage grain,
orchards and kitchen gardens. The Regents
design to make it, as far as possible, model
farm, and great deal of attention is given
to fine stock. The old lunch room has been
banished, and one finds now in the family
kitchen" only sweet milk, to be bought by
the glass or quart, and at a moderate price.
The milk is, next to the roses. one of the
chief sources of revenue The orchards are
VOunU trees hut very soon the Weld of f,y,it